Constellations of the Northern Skies
by maraudler
Summary: 'Lily wondered... why, in all the millions upon millions of other chances in life, in all the infinite worlds above her, there was no place she'd rather be than with him.' JP/LE


'Where are we going?' Lily laughed, trying to keep up with James' long strides.

'Shh,' he chuckled. 'You'll see.'

She smiled, curiosity growing with every step, excitement bubbling inside. They had head duties that evening, patrolling the floors of the castle for any students out of bed (translate: hanging out and eating stolen chocolate from Peter's stash in the office, checking the map every once in a while), but as soon as Lily had walked into the room, James had taken her hand and pulled her back into the corridor.

They had reached the floor below now, hands still entwined as James walked purposefully to wherever he'd singularly decided. It was getting a little chilly in the castle, the cool night air nipping at the skin, and Lily shivered.

'You cold?' James asked, having now slowed to her pace and walking backwards as he watched.

'It's almost winter and we're wandering around a stone castle at night.'

'Right,' he grinned, opening up his bag and pulling out a large coat. 'Thought you would need this.'

Lily reached out to take it, eyeing him carefully, and stopped walking for a moment to slip it on.

'Seriously, _where _are we going?' Her hand fell into his again.

'Somewhere,'

'Thanks,'

She looked up to see a broad smile spread across his face and nudged him gently. Sometimes there was no telling what James was up to and Lily knew she'd just have to go along with it. His elaborate schemes had always made to be quite a time though, she thought, not always in a good way.

'You're not taking me to the kitchens again, are you?' Lily whispered, the horror of the memory resurfacing. 'Oh, those poor elves. I can't even look at treacle tart anymore.'

James put a hand over his mouth, muffling the sound of laughter. 'Never again, Lil. Never again.'

He led. She followed. They talked and walked and laughed and hushed, checking the map for any teachers and messing around in the most subtle ways. Lily wasn't even sure what was going on, but she couldn't have stopped talking to James, and he couldn't have stopped talking to her. Walking down so many steps might've taken her a few minutes on a good day, but before the journey had properly registered in her mind, Lily found herself and James on the first floor.

They had just turned round a tapestry, James pulling Lily along to the steps down to the entrance hall. She stopped, pulled him back and said in a hushed voice, 'I thought you said we weren't going to the kitchens.'

'We're not.'

'I'm not going to the dungeons.'

'Neither am I.'

'Then, where? The Hall?'

James raised his eyebrows, an amused look playing across his face.

'Wasn't planning on it.'

It took a moment before Lily caught on.

'We can't go _outside!_' She took his other hand and shuffled backwards.

'Sure we can,'

'_No, _we can't. We could get caught and Merlin knows what'll happen if we do!'

'Merlin doesn't need to know anything,' James said and, from inside the seemingly endless bag he had shrugged on his shoulder, he pulled out a silvery cloak. 'Because we've got this.'

Lily sighed.

'James, I'm not going outside at midnight.'

'I say differently.'

'I say why do you even _want _to go outside at this time?'

He whispered, 'Trust me.'

Her hands were still in his, their bodies close together in the shadows of the corridor. She could see the flickering light of the candles reflected in his eyes, flecks of gold dancing across the deep brown, and, though his face still held that familiar, playful expression, Lily could tell he was utterly serious.

She clasped one cold hand tightly in his, the other falling to her side, and made her way down the steps to the hall. Well, she thought, if there was no choice in going along with James' ridiculous scheme, she might as well have fun.

When they stood by the great door, Lily turned to him.

'How are we sup-'

'It's open.' James answered the question before she could ask. A confused frown spread across her face as she looked up at the giant entrance, bolts and keyholes and panels all seemingly locking the door.

'How do you know?'

He grinned and, from his back pocket, held up a large, rusted key. 'Nicked it from Filch's office this morning.' Lily's eyes widened. 'Ah, I only took it for good measure, he won't even notice it's gone. Friday nights he always locks up late.'

'But _James_,' Lily wasn't exactly _shocked _that James had done this, more so that he had done it for _her_. He waved her reaction down, still grinning and proceeded to lift the cloak.

'You ok?' He asked.

Lily rolled her eyes with a smile. 'Just do it, idiot.'

And in one swift movement they were covered in the cloak, a flow of water like silk hiding them from sight. If one were to walk past in those moments before the door creaked open, they might have heard the whisper of a dirty comment, followed by a loud thud as Lily stomped on James' foot.

Far out in the grounds, James pulled off the invisibility cloak, stuffing it into the bag and wrapping an arm round Lily. She rested her head against him, gazing up at the sky and listening to the soft rustle of birds and gentle chirrup of insects. The cold air swept through the night, warm breath visible in the dark. The only light came from the stars.

'Is this what you wanted me to see?' Lily asked peacefully into the quietness. They were wrapped so tightly together that their whispers cut through the air like a knife.

'Not quite.' James answered. But he did not move yet.

Moments passed as they stood, watching the night and exchanging words. It was a quiet talk, one that neither really considered to be a talk at all. The words simply fell from their mouths, just filling the silence.

It was a shock to hear his voice break through the peace.

'C'mon, I want to show you something.'

He enveloped her icy hand in his, still so close together as they walked. She did not protest to his movement when she was perfectly content with standing on the grounds and admiring the beauty of the night. She was tired and, though the curiosity of this little adventure still burned, all Lily could really think about was the warm fire in Gryffindor tower, and her own cosy bed. Still, she did not protest.

That is until she realised where he was heading.

'James, there is no way I'm going into the forest.'

It was _Forbidden. _Capital F. Lily was not walking into any Forbidden-bloody-forest at night.

'Relax, we're barely going in at all.' James said calmly.

'I'm not setting foot near those trees.'

'We're just going round the lake, just to the other side.'

'But _why_, James?'

'You'll see.'

Lily had just about had enough of this newfound mystery and she didn't have a clue what was going on and she was practically being dragged into the only place Dumbledore thought dangerous enough to be _Forbidden_. James noticed her expression and sighed.

'Lil, we don't have to go if you really don't want to,' he said, turning to face her properly now. 'I just thought you could use a break.'

Lily considered him for a moment. He looked genuine, if a little sad at the prospect of her leaving. She really thought he'd been practising those puppy eyes in the mirror because _damn it _if she could say no.

'No more surprises?'

He beamed. 'No more surprises.'

They walked for a while round the edge of the great lake in silence. Lily had always loved the night; its tranquillity and sombreness. The lake was still, the black water shimmering with moonlights reflection and the breeze sweeping across the surface. It was a strange world.

Their footfalls were light on the soil, the sound soft against the ever growing hush of wind, and Lily relished the quietness. It was minutes later when James stopped at the opposite side of the lake, and Lily wondered what time it must be.

They were facing Hogwarts; the sight of the castle from so far away was magnificent, tiny beams dotted round the windows like fairy lights and the looming towers stretched across the sky.

'Wow,' she breathed. She turned to look at James, only to discover he was no longer by her side and was, in fact, making his way to the clustered trees. Without his warm body against hers, she began to shiver once again.

Lily followed quietly, brushing away a long branch as she walked into the forest. Rustling and crunching sounds surrounded them and the cold was no longer the only thing making her shiver. James was facing her, smiling so widely, and whispered, 'Look.'

His smile was infectious, and when he held out his hand, she took it as if they were about to dance. She stepped through the canopy of leaves, pulling away the twigs and vines hanging like a veil to the trees, and when she saw it, she felt her heart thud heavily in her chest.

There was a small clearing, tall trees surrounding the leafy ground and opening up to the sky. It shone above like a velvet sheet twinkling with thousands of stars that gleamed down onto earth. Peppered across the leaves around were tiny golden lights, floating like fireflies in the air, and when Lily trod into the space, she twirled around, beaming at James.

'What is this?' She laughed lightly, unable to hold back her smile.

He grinned. 'Somewhere.'

And all it took was that stupid grin, that one word. Lily reached forwards to kiss him.

'I thought you said there were no more surprises,'

James walked further in, placing his hands on either side of her arms. 'If you don't mind, I have one more.'

Lily thought he would kiss her back then, no doubt alone, under the stars would have been the perfect moment. But James wasn't like that. He sat on the ground and leant back.

Wondering what on earth he was doing, Lily crouched down, wrapping her coat more tightly round her body.

'James -'

'Lie down.'

'Why?'

'Has my mystery not proved to be wonderful yet? Just lie down.'

So she did. She settled down in the crisp autumn leaves feathered across the ground and leant back close to James, her hair fanned out like a mane.

'That's Jupiter.' James whispered, pointing up to the sky. And Lily finally realised what he was doing. She stared up to the indigo blanket stretched above like a ceiling, the starry night the only thing in view. It was undoubtedly, undeniably beautiful.

'And that's Sirius, right there.'

He moved his finger slightly, though Lily could not see what he was pointing to. Constellations had always confused her, never being able to tell one cluster of stars from the next and only finding herself admiring the tiny lights in the sky in her first few years of Astronomy. And so she let him talk, breathe, show her the shapes and zodiacs and planets that lived trillions of miles away, all the while watching the night for its beauty. She fell into thought, her mind travelling as it raced through memories and ideas and words all written in the stars. And she thought about the universe and its mysteries and its infinite possibilities. Lily wondered about James, and why he would ever go to the trouble of making her come out in the middle of the night just to see the glow and the beam and the radiance of the sky. Why he would do all this for her and why she couldn't ever imagine a person she could trust with the same faith. Why, in all the millions upon millions of other chances in life, in all the infinite worlds above her, there was no place she'd rather be than with him.


End file.
